theTravelPlanner.co.uk

sustainable and ethical travel

theTravelPlanner

Eco Bed and Breakfast:

Green Business Tourism Scheme -www.green-business.co.ukAccredits
holiday accommodation providers on their efforts to reduce their
environmental impact. Businesses are assessed every two years
against a number of criteria, covering areas like energy efficiency,
waste minimisation and recycling, use of local produce, and support
of public transport.

Organic Places to Stay -www.organicplacestostay.co.ukspecialise
in farmhouse, guesthouse, bead and breakfast accomodation on
organic farms and smallholdings around the world.

UK:

Cornwall

County Down

Luxury organic bed and breakfast
looking out over a tranquil lake and meadows. Noted for their
organic baking, this is clearly a place to linger awhile.

Cumbria:

Cote How, Lake District -www.bedbreakfastlakedistrict.com
Guest house and tea room in an historic house
at Rydal, Ambleside serving organic food and with a very comprehensive
environmental policy. One of the first B&Bs to be Soil Association
accredited.

Go
lakes -the official
website of Cumbria Tourism -listing of hundreds of Bed and Breakfasts,
and self catering accommodation in Cumbria.

Derbyshire

Beechenhill Farm, -www.beechenhill.co.ukComfortable
B&B on a diary farm in the Peak District serving organic
breakfasts.

Gwynedd

Wales

Bryn Elltyd, North Wales http://www.accommodation-snowdonia.comEnvironmentally friendly guest house, located in
the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, near Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Scenic lake side location, at the foot of the Moelwyn mountain
range, this is an good base for exploring Snowdonia. Extensive
environmental policy, includes organic food, renewable energy
and reed bed purification of waste.

A traditional small farm set
in the peaceful hills of Mid-Wales.They have an organic vegetable
garden along with goats, chickens and sheep. The farm is located
on the Cambrian Way, Dyfi Valley Way and the Glyndwr's Way National
Trail in the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park, and is
just nine miles from the Centre for Alternative Technology.

A working farmhouse, certified
by the Soil Association. They grow their own vegetables andkeep poultry, pigs, welsh black
cattle, and sheep. The stone farmhouse is surrounded by orchards,
streams, hedgerows teeming with wildlife, including buzzards
and kites, or you can venture further afield to Cardigan Bay
Coast famous for dolphins, seals, puffins and spectacular cliff
top walks. They also make some rather beautiful bespoke country
furniture, which is on sale in their shop, along with organic
produce, including free-range eggs, homemade sausages, dry cured
bacon from rare breeds, homemade bread and marmalade, with local
dairy produce.

The Yat is a small family run
eco friendly guest house. This ancient historic house,dating
from the 15th Century, nestles in an unspoilt valley, down a
single track road, in the tiny hamlet of Glascwm. They have spring
water on tap and serve organic food, with a full english breakfast.
Solar panels heat the water. A great place to recharge your batteries
amidst the beautiful countryside, hosted by owners, Krystyna
Zaremba and Derek Pike, who have made the house into a rural
retreat.

Yorkshire

The astonishing renovation of
a scheduled ancient monument built 750 years ago by one of the
Knights Templar. A childhood dream of architect Francis Shaw,
the renovation was took years in the making and can be seen on
a one and half hour Grand Designs special edition. There are
five boutique rooms including the fabulous attic apartment with
its fabulous views over the Yorkshire Dales.

Europe

Belgium

Wellness spa in two carefully
restored farmhouses in the countryside to the west of Mons. They
offer yoga, fitness and detox sessions, jacuzzi, sauna and hammam
bath, massage with essential oils, ayurveda therapies. A particular
feature is their weekend sensory renewal course, combing spa
treatment with golf or horseriding at Mont-Garni.

France

Owners Veronique and Yann offer
5 cozy guest rooms in this chambres d'hôtes that can fit
a total of twelve guests in a restored 18th century building
in the heart of Bordeaux. The restoration has been carried out
using eco-materials such as wood fiber, cork or wool. The lime
plaster walls and the floors are made from antique Vosges pine
that have been sanded and oiled. The ecolodge was given the European
Eco-label award in energy efficiency (solar panels, water saving
faucets and energy efficient light bulbs).

This modern longhouse nestled
in a "courtil" in the heart of the village of Beaumetz,
between the valleys of the Somme and the Authie. It offers three
double bedrooms along with a winter garden equipped with a wide
range of books and opening onto the sunny garden. Breakfasts
with homemade breads, brioches, patisserie and jams, farm products,
cereals, fruit juice, coffee and tea are well suited for walkers
and cyclists. The owners encourage biodiversity through responsible,
ecological and sustainable development, and are members of the
association Baie de Somme Zéro Carbone, a group of professionals
comitted to the preservation of the Bay. They take part in the
campaigns of the Noah Conservation Association and BirdLife International.
The lodging has been awarded the Green Key ecolabel.

Fitness centre offering bed
and organic breakfast. The Lunyu Wellness Oasis has Finnish sauna,
Turkish steam-bath, Jacuzzi whirlpool and Aroma shower. Awarded
a gold medal for environment by the Bavarian Government, their
motto is " In harmony with nature".

Two Oaks is a cozy wooden cottage
designed to feng-shui principles, just 20km south of Hamburg.
The house has antique furnishings and is decorated with original
art by a local artist! There is also a country garden with English
roses and organic grown vegetables and fruits.

Ireland

Award wining eco-friendly B&B,
winner of an E.U. Green Flower Award. Situated in a tranquil
setting at the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains and 20kms
from the ocean the accommodation comprises en-0suit rooms or
a self-catering apartment, along with a 'warm room' to dry-out
in (for walkers, cyclists, etc) and a dog-kennel. Numerous eco-measures
include organic food, Fair Trade products, free use of bikes
and canoe, small hydro electricity plus solar hot water, re-use
of water and much more.

Italy

Guest house in a renoveted wine
factory on the slopes of Mount Etna. They have a clear green
philosophy which ranges from conservation of energy and recycling
of grey water to serving organic food. Shame about the slow loading
and slightly irritating background music.

Bed and Breakfast "di charme"
in a lovingly restored house in the small Tuscan village of Cantagrillo.
They offer comfortable rooms and apartments, along with a swimming
pool with hydromassage stations, a six hectares wood, equipped
walking paths with exercise stations and an organic garden for
the growing of small vegetables available for you during your
holiday.

Portugal

Luxury and solitude on a certified
organic farm in the Sintra/Cascais Natural Park. The farm and
buildings have been restored from an abandoned state in 1994
by the present owners. Pick youre own oranges straight from the
tree whilst enjoying the peace and tranquility of the guest accommodation.

Spain

Creative Retreat / Eco-Guest
House in the natural park of Sierra Maria-Los Velez in the mountains
of Andalucia. As a guest house they are completely 'off-grid'
making electricity from the sun and wind, harvesting rain water,
recycling grey water, treating waste water with reed beds. They
also offer artists residencies, creative courses and ecology
holidays.

A very small bed and breakfast
hotel with just five rooms, located in La Pandiella, a small
village in Piloña. The bedding is made from natural products,
they offer back massage and osteopathy treatments, run Tai-chi
and Chi-kung sessions and actively support good causes including
human rights, underprivileged children and ecology movements.
They also boast a good library of books on ecology, human rights
and healthy living.

Worldwide:

Australasia

Australia:

Heron on Earth,
Port Sorrell -http://www.herononearth.com B&B
in a modern solar house on a five acre organic farm. The farm
provides a wide range of organic food from asparagus to raspberries
according to season. They leave you with a selection of fresh
produce on your arrival. The bay is only minutes away -bikes
and canoes are available for guests to use.

Tianjara
-New South Wales -http://www.tianjaraeco.comHomestay
in a simple barn on an organic farm -you can self cater or the
owners will serve you with organic home-cooked meals. The main
house is built from unfired clay bricks and designed on passive
solar principles. Recycled materials are used where possible
and the barn is fitted with a composting toilet.

Eco-friendly lodging nestled
with just seven rooms in a tropical organic garden in the Whitsunday
Islands, overlooking the Great Barrier Reef. To minimize their
impact on the environment, they use solar panels and an eco-friendly
cooling insulation system, a fresh rainwater tank for cooking
and drinking water, recycled building materials and organic finishes
and products.

New Zealand:

Maanaki Eco-Farmstay, Purau - http://www.ecofarmstaypurau.co.nz
Beautiful location overlooking Purau Bay, a volcanic inlet just
40 minutes from Christchurch. Family run and built, the farmstay
offers guests the chance to consort with nature through activities
such as hiking, sailing and horse riding or simply just by relaxing
and enjoying the rural atmosphere. The farm was built from scratch
using sustainable materials and building practices, along with
rainwater harvesting, solar heating and other features that make
it eco-friendly.

Neudorf's Gingerbread
House, Nelson - http://www.gingerbreadhousenz.com
Beautiful B&B, situated next to the Abel Tasman National
Park. The idyllic location combined with the owners friendly
welcome makes this the perfect place to relax and unwind or to
take advantage of the local area and the hiking, fishing and
beaches that are only minutes away. The house speciality is the
organic Swiss breakfast.

North America

USA

Sustainable living centre round
offering workshops and retreats in solar water heating, yoga,
organic gardening, herbs and their uses. Set in a 90 acre plot
in lush rolling hills and woods, they have three rooms available
for bed and breakfast.

Picturesque small inn that sets
out to be the eco leader in Boulder accommodation, with organic
breakfasts, energy efficiency measures, environmentally friendly
cleaning products, recycling and composting. Located in downtown
Boulder, it offers ten bedrooms, each with its own character,
and a convivial organic breakfast with other guests.

Maple
Hill Farm Inn, Maine
- http://www.maplebb.com
Maple Hill Farm's commitment to minimising their environmental
impact and educating their guests earned them Maine's first "Environmental
Leader" green lodging establishment certification. Offers
a range of activities for both business and leisure travelers,
including fishing, hiking and conference facilities. Most of
the inn is powered by a huge solar array and a wind turbine,
while the inn also uses recycling, composting and ethical purchasing
to maintain its environmental stance.

Eco-lodging that offers three
spacious guest rooms, each with whirlpool bath and fireplace,
and private decks that overlook the perennial gardens and secluded
Pikes Creek Valley. Homemade breakfast prepared with locally
grown organic food. Native plant gardens and wooded trails encircle
the property. Owners, Steve and Nancy Sandstrom are known for
their commitment to sustainable community & sustainable tourism,
and measure implemented at the guest house include solar heated
hot water, composting, non-toxic cleaning, organic food etc.

Named 'The Hands' because both
of the owners are professional masseurs, this super-=insulated
passive solar strawbale house is located on a secluded, forested
15-acre parcel of land outside of Buena Vista, Colorado, surrounded
by over 400 acres of beautiful pinon forest .

Canada

Romany
Rest, Prince Edward
Island -http://www.romanyrest.com
Eco-friendly, green B&B in a country farmhouse set in five
acres of permaculture gardens on Prince Edward Island. They are
members of the Green Hotels Association and list their environmental
activities on an interesting blog. As well as two rooms for bed
and breakfast, they also offer a self catering cottage, which
comes complete with a replica Romany Caravan as camping extra
playspace, and an outdoor solar heated pool. Green measures include
biodegradable cleaning and laundry products, the use of renewable
energy sources, composting, recycling and eco-friendly food.
They also offer cheese-making and rag crochet workshops.